No character limit, rich media, verified branding, and 3-5x higher click-through- see exactly where RCS pulls ahead of plain-text SMS, and where SMS still earns its place as your fallback channel.
Trusted by 10,000+ businesses across India
Written by the Get Click Media Pvt. Ltd. Team · Last updated: July 2026 · Reviewed by the Get Click Media RCS team
Trusted by 10,000+ businesses across India
RCS (Rich Communication Services)is the modern successor to SMS, built into Google Messages on Android. It sends verified-brand messages with images, carousels, suggested replies, and tappable action buttons- inside the customer's default messaging app, with no download or opt-in step required. Get Click Media delivers RCS with automatic SMS fallback, so reach never drops below what plain SMS would deliver alone.
SMS (Short Message Service) is the original mobile text channel- a 160-character plain-text message that works on every phone, on every carrier, with no app or internet connection required. It has no built-in verification, no rich media, and bills longer or Unicode messages as multiple segments, but its universal reach is exactly why Get Click Media still uses it as the automatic fallback layer under RCS.
| Feature | RCS | SMS |
|---|---|---|
| Rich Images | ✅ | ❌ |
| Carousels | ✅ | ❌ |
| CTA Buttons | ✅ | ❌ (links only) |
| Verified Brand | ✅ | ❌ |
| Read Receipts | ✅ | ❌ |
| Analytics | ✅ | ❌ (delivery status only) |
| API Integration | ✅ | Varies by gateway |
| Customer Experience | High | Medium |
This is one of the most-searched RCS vs SMS questions, and the answer is straightforward: SMS caps out at 160 characters per segment (dropping to 70 for Unicode text in Hindi, Tamil, and other regional languages), with anything longer split into multiple billed segments. RCS carries a full message- no equivalent per-send character penalty.
| Aspect | SMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|
| Message length | 160 characters per segment (70 for Unicode/regional languages)- longer messages split into billed segments. | No practical character limit- a single message carries your full message plus rich content. |
| Regional language SMS | Unicode SMS (Hindi, Tamil, etc.) drops to 70 characters per segment, doubling segment count for the same message. | Full Unicode support with no segment penalty- regional-language messages cost and read the same as English. |
| Long messages | A 300-character SMS splits into 2-3 billed segments, increasing cost per send. | One RCS message, one send, regardless of length. |
RCS is priced per message, in the same range as SMS for standard transactional sends. The real cost difference shows up on long or Unicode messages, where SMS splits into 2-3 billed segments and RCS doesn't- and on engagement, where a higher RCS click-through rate lowers your effective cost per conversion even at a similar per-message price. See our RCS Pricing India page for current rates, or our Bulk SMS Pricing India page to compare directly.
Product photos, offer banners, and swipeable carousels render inline- SMS can only link out to an image, breaking the flow.
Structured cards with headlines, descriptions, and images replace the single block of plain text SMS is limited to.
Tappable buttons (Buy Now, Track Order, Call Us) reduce the friction of copying a link or dialling a number from an SMS.
See when a message is delivered and read, the same familiarity as any modern chat app- SMS gives you delivery status at best.
RCS vs SMS engagement rate is the single biggest reason businesses switch- a verified sender and a richer inbox experience change how customers respond, not just how the message looks.
| Aspect | SMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|
| Sender identity | A phone number or alphanumeric sender ID- easy to spoof, no verification step. | Verified business name, logo, and checkmark badge from Google's brand verification. |
| Typical open/engagement rate | ~20% for promotional SMS- easily lost among OTPs and spam. | 70%+ open rate reported across Get Click Media campaigns- rich cards stand out in the inbox. |
| Click-through rate | Baseline- a bare link with no visual context. | 3-5x higher CTR than SMS with the same offer, driven by inline images and one-tap buttons. |
| Brand presence | None built into the channel- just a number. | Logo, business name, and colour scheme appear in every message. |
RCS messages report open rates around 70%, well above the ~20% typical of promotional SMS.
One-tap CTA buttons and inline visuals convert better than a bare SMS link, for the same offer.
A checkmark badge next to your business name reduces the hesitation customers feel opening an unmarked SMS.
RCS lives inside the default Android messaging app- no separate app download or opt-in flow for the customer.
SMS sender IDs- whether a number or an alphanumeric name- have no verification step, which is exactly why phishing texts imitate banks and delivery services so convincingly. RCS messages carry a Google-verified business badge confirming the sender's identity before a single message goes out, which matters most for OTPs, payment confirmations, and account alerts. See our RCS OTP page for how this applies to authentication specifically.
Standard SMS gateways report delivery status and little else. RCS campaigns through Get Click Media's RCS Analytics add read receipts, button-tap tracking, and carousel engagement data- the kind of funnel visibility that lets you see not just that a message arrived, but whether it actually worked.
If your systems already call an SMS gateway API, switching to RCS is a payload change, not a rebuild- the Get Click Media RCS API follows the same request/response pattern, with fields for rich cards, buttons, and carousels layered on top. Automatic SMS fallback is configured once at the account level, not per request.
OTPs, order confirmations, and delivery alerts are time-sensitive by nature- both channels deliver fast. The difference is trust: an RCS transactional message arrives with a verified badge that makes it visibly harder to spoof than an SMS sender ID.
| Aspect | SMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | OTPs, order confirmations, delivery alerts- read fast, forgotten fast. | Same transactional moments, but with a verified sender and rich card layout that reduces support calls asking "is this real?" |
| Trust signal | None- any sender ID can claim to be your brand. | Verified badge confirms the message is genuinely from your business. |
| Fallback | N/A- SMS is already the fallback channel. | Automatic SMS fallback if the recipient's device or carrier doesn't support RCS, so delivery is never blocked. |
This is where the gap widens most. Promotional SMS to DND-registered numbers is restricted under India's TRAI regulations unless the customer has separately opted in- RCS operates outside that restriction, while also giving offers a visual format that a plain-text SMS link can't match.
| Aspect | SMS | RCS |
|---|---|---|
| DND / TRAI restrictions | Promotional SMS is blocked for numbers registered under DND (India's Do Not Disturb registry) unless separately opted in. | RCS operates outside the promotional-SMS DND framework, reaching customers regardless of DND registration. |
| Visual impact | Plain text with a link- offers compete for attention with no imagery. | Product carousels, discount badges, and CTA buttons in the message itself. |
| Engagement | Low- often filtered by carrier spam detection or ignored outright. | Higher engagement from a verified, visually rich sender that doesn't read as spam. |
Rich media- images, carousels, CTA buttons
Verified sender identity and branding
70%+ open rate, 3-5x SMS click-through
Read receipts and delivery analytics
No DND restriction on promotional sends
Automatic SMS fallback for unsupported devices
Requires Google brand verification (5-7 days)
Full rich-media experience needs a compatible Android device
Slightly newer channel- less universal historical data than SMS
Works on every phone, including feature phones
Decades of carrier infrastructure and familiarity
No verification or setup required to start sending
Simple, predictable per-segment pricing
160-character limit (70 for Unicode) forces multi-segment billing
No images, carousels, or buttons- plain text only
Easily spoofed sender ID- a known phishing vector
Promotional SMS blocked for DND-registered numbers
No read receipts- delivery status only
~20% open rate, weak click-through on offers
Most Get Click Media clients don't choose one over the other- they run RCS first with automatic SMS fallback, getting the best of both without managing two separate integrations.
Trusted by 10,000+ businesses across India for messaging infrastructure that doesn't force a choice between reach and rich experience.
Google's RCS verification review is managed as part of onboarding, so your messages carry a verified identity from day one.
Every RCS send falls back to SMS automatically for unsupported devices, configured once at the account level.
See RCS engagement and SMS delivery data in the same dashboard, instead of stitching together two separate providers.
Integrate once through the Get Click Media API and send RCS or SMS from the same codebase.
Talk to our experts about moving from plain SMS to verified, rich RCS messaging- with SMS fallback built in from day one.
Get Click Media enables brands to move beyond plain SMS with verified, interactive RCS messaging.
Big or small, we power communication for all- talk to us today.
For most use cases, yes- RCS delivers higher open rates, richer content, and verified branding, while keeping SMS as an automatic fallback so reach never drops below what SMS alone would deliver.
Get Click Media runs both channels on one platform- book a free demo and we'll map out the right mix for your business.
